Understanding Technology Literacy: A Framework for Evaluating Educational Technology Integration

Federal legislation in the United States currently mandates that technology be integrated into school curricula because of the popular belief that learning is enhanced through the use of technology. The challenge for educators is to understand how best to teach with technology while developing the technological expertise of their students. This article outlines a framework of technological literacy designed to help educators understand, evaluate, and promote effective and appropriate technology integration.     

THE RATIONALE FOR JEWISH EDUCATION AS EXPRESSED IN THE JEWISH EDUCATION MAGAZINE — 1929–1955

Questioning-asking has not only long been seen as a central component of Jewish educational practice but has also been thought to be part of a broader culture of Judaism. In this article, we apply cognitive-developmental theories to advance the discussion of the use of questioning in Jewish education. Such theories allow Jewish educators to more fully understand the function of questioning and to appreciate affective elements involved in the context of question-asking. Further, these theories connect question-asking with issues of identity development. Recommendations are made for Jewish educational practice, including an example of a cognitive-developmentally based questioning strategy applied to a biblical text.     

Educational technology and the world wide web in the pacific islands

Conclusion The United States and Japan are at the forefront of technological innovation, telecommunications and information management in the Pacific. This new era of “information” and “communication” raises disturbing questions: Whose information will be disseminated and heard? Can diversity be respected in a world driven by CNN World News and MTV world music? We do not have answers to these questions, but those of us who disseminate innovation and technology into the Pacific must engage in these dialogues with indigenous peoples. Pacific Island cultures must be taken into account as educators and others move toward international dialogue about educational technology, learning and “voice.” We hope this essay stimulates further thought and discussion in this area, as well as an impetus for developing partnerships between Pacific Island communities and institutions of higher education. Her research interests include learning and teaching with multimedia and web-based materials. His research interests include technologies for self-determination and voice.     

Managing the Social and Cultural Consequences of Introducing Groupware Technology into the Group Learning Environment

Many organizations in recent times have changed their working culture to embrace such ideas as group working and self-management teams. As such, the introduction of GroupWare technology into an organization, either business or educational, should be considered carefully. In addition, both in the business world and academia there is some confusion as to what exactly constitutes a GroupWare product. Furthermore, not only must technological requirements be considered but also social and cultural aspects. As a result, introducing GroupWare technologies into the educational environment may enhance group working, but due care and attention must be given when introducing such technology. In order to comprehend the technology it is a prerequisite that both business organisations and academic institutions understand the social and cultural aspects of introducing group working into their establishment.     

马克思主义唯物论与教育技术装备工作

论述了用马克思主义唯物论来认识教育技术装备和如何在新形势下做好教育技术装备工作的关键问题.认为教育技术装备是教育活动的基本条件;是培养高素质人才的重要保证.为了做好教育技术装备工作,必须坚持"一个中心,两个重点"的工作思路;既要"跟踪教育",更要"开发教育";还要解放思想,用好市场.     

mLearning: Anytime,anywhere learning transcending the boundaries of the educational box

In the age of our mobile learning, an impending onus is placed on educational institutions to embrace this technological innovation that is widely accepted, used, and available globally. The clear societal value of mobile technology as a productivity tool for engagement, creation, and collaboration has generated a new need for education to revisit existing instructional paradigms constrained by physical walls and time. Mobile learning (mLearning) creates a venue to promote a culture of participation where learners and leaders alike can engage in combined efforts with multiplicative outcomes of greater success. This article explores the factors that national, state, and local educational organizations must understand in order to make steps toward successful integration of mLearning technology. Characteristics necessary for effective and efficient use of mLearning strategies for educators are also examined.     

A ‘rhetoric of disruption’ by way of attaining the not yet in the future: re‐membering the past by way of challenging our present educational practices

Our central argument is that if we are to understand who we are as educators in the present as well as who we hope to become in the future, then we must examine and critique how we have collectively represented who we have been. To present our conviction that understanding our history as adult educators is central to understanding our current educational practice, we develop three theses. First, we argue that the purpose of history is to help us understand how we have created our current educational practices from our historical experiences. Second, we draw upon Williams’ notion of a ‘selective tradition’ to show how our current practices are selectively, and often hegemonically, constructed from past practices. Finally, in hopes of moving us toward illuminating our future, we argue that the purpose of history is to help us analyze those selective cultural traditions that inform our current educational practices in order to expose prejudices and illusions. We thus propose the ‘doing’ of history as a counterhegemonic strategy of ‘remembering’ the past in order to critique the present so that as educators we can reveal our historically‐copntinuing limitations and open us to expanding possibilities of Hberatory practice.     

Engineering Education: between ‘richesse de la culture’ and international equivalence

Personal views, remarks about SEFI as an organisation and trends in engineering education are the items presented in the paper. SEFI—if it did not exist it would have to be invented immediately because it contributes to the infrastructure of Europe. ‘Richesse de la culture’ is a European characteristic and, as a consequence, educational systems are different, and should be developed further to capitalise on their advantages and eliminate their drawbacks. The first decade of SEFI was that of a club of enthusiastic engineering educators, the next one should bring the transition to a society with its potential impact on a European scale. Engineering education, to day more than ever, faces permanent technological change. Continuing education, therefore, becomes more important, but initial education should be enhanced by involving students in research, by introducing more choices, for instance to include nontechnical subjects and by training innovative, flexible and communicative behaviour to make technology better understood to the public.     

高职院校创新型人才培养的探讨

创新是目前教育改革和发展的战略主题,是经济社会发展和科学技术进步的保障。高等职业院校深化教学改革,全面提高办学水平和教学质量,着力于创新型人才培养,已成为广大教育工作者的共识。因而,高职院校应充分认识高职院校创新型人才培养的重要意义,探寻高职院校创新人才培养的实施途径：树立创新意识,培养创新型教师,开展创新型实践活动,建设创新型校园文化。     

Ethnically Speaking

Today more than ever, as citizens of the world face unknown threats and seemingly irresoluble, disparate philosophical views, examination of ethical issues is essential. In our technological age, educators and researchers in the field of educational technology bear the responsibility for engaging in thoughtful debates about topical issues that call for rationale judgements. Teachers from K-university levels can contribute to such endeavors by encouraging discussions among their students about personal and social responsibility within and across cultures. These resources are but one beginning. Scholarly commentary related to this effort is welcome.     

Cultural Themes in Educational Debates: the nature‐culture opposition in accounts of unequal educational performance

This paper investigates certain aspects of the debate about the causes of unequal educational performance. By analysing two illustrative explanations of performance, it shows that the debate appears to be shaped by a fundamental theme in modern Western culture, the nature‐culture opposition. This suggests that the knowledge that we have concerning educational performance is influenced not only by the social and political interests and positions of educators and researchers, but also by more basic cultural concerns; and if we want to understand both educational performance and the debate surrounding it, we need to be aware of this broad influence.     

Learning to teach 3D printing in schools: how do teachers in Korea prepare to integrate 3D printing technology into classrooms?

3D printing implementation in educational contexts has gained considerable attention in recent years. However, research shows that both in-service and pre-service teachers lack digital literacy and the confidence required to teach this emerging technology. This study reports the current challenges and opportunities in 3D printing education in Korea and identifies the range of knowledge required for teachers to integrate 3D printing technology into classrooms in meaningful ways. The technological, pedagogical, and content knowledge (TPACK) framework was used to analyze the certificate program for 3D printing educators and in-service teachers’ practices. The findings from interviews with 10 in-service teachers and participant observation in the 3D printing training workshop for pre-service teachers revealed that technological knowledge is overly emphasized in the 3D printing teacher training curriculum. Thus, many in-service teachers develop their content knowledge and pedagogical knowledge by exchanging ideas with other teachers online and running project-based courses with flipped classroom approaches. Two potential paths were discovered for developing curricula that cross over the domains of the TPACK framework to successfully integrate the technology into classrooms: collaboration between teachers in different subject areas and industry experts to develop technical knowledge and curriculum, and contextualizing 3D printing technology in relation to open-source digital culture.     

从技术的异化谈教育技术的异化和消解

从技术异化的视角出发,提出教育技术异化的内涵及表现,分析了教育技术异化的成因,指出教育技术异化存在的必然性和可控性,进而从教育者层面探讨了教育技术异化的消解对策:正确认识教育技术的作用与价值、客观看待教育技术异化现象、科学规划和正确引导、提高教师教育技术能力水平。     

名校文化发展：内涵与策略——名校文化论纲（下）

在文化转型与教育转轨中,名校文化面临着艰难选择。名校文化发展意味着逐步克服文化与人的割裂与对立,形成文化与人的积极互动,促进文化世界与文化生命的同步优化。名校文化发展的深层机制在于办学者自身的文化更新,它迫切要求办学者跳出文化小圈子反观自身,提升自身的文化自觉与文化能力,同时善于捕捉文化冲突中蕴藏的发展契机,处理好文化的适应性与超越性的关系,调控好稳定与改革的运行节奏。     

Teaching improvement grants: what they tell us about professors' instructional choices for the use of technology in higher education

To understand the creative possibilities for the instructional uses of technology, it is important to understand what professors’ are thinking about or imagining they could be doing. This article describes how an analysis of teaching improvement grants can inform us regarding professors’ instructional choices for the use of technology in higher education. An analysis over 6 years of award winning innovative technology proposals emphasized the positive practices that were being proposed, the importance of situating the analysis within an historical framework (eg, over time, culture, infrastructure) and the value of focusing on professor thinking that precedes teaching action and subsequent evaluation of its impact on learning.     

Influences on and Obstacles to K-12 Administrators’ Support for Environment-Based Education

Urban environmental education helps students to recognize ecological features and practices of cities. To understand the value and practice of developing such ecological place meaning, we conducted narrative research with educators and students in urban environmental education programs in the Bronx, New York City. Narratives showed that educators are cultivating ecological place meaning to help students appreciate ecological aspects of cities, and develop their imagination of how their environment could be improved. Such ecological place meaning is nurtured through direct experiences with the urban environment, social interactions within educational programs and communities, and development of students’ ecological identity.     

Student’s local top-up higher education choices

Making decisions about education choices is challenging and difficult for students. Utilising the theory of reasoned action, we specify and estimate a conceptual framework that captures the cognitive process of decision making of students in choosing top-up higher degrees in Hong Kong. Top-up higher or bachelor’s degrees are top-up undergraduate programmes forming a progression route for sub-degree graduates to earn bachelor’s degrees. We argue that attitudes, subjective norms and perceived value influence a student’s top-up higher education choices. Our results show that family members, educators, job availability and security, social image and difficulty of curriculum play critical roles in influencing students’ decision. We also find differences between females and males, between business and non-business students and between Year 1 and Year 2 students in higher education choices. These findings underscore the importance of educational institutions developing effective policies for promoting top-up higher degree programmes by taking cognisance of gender, the field of study and year of study differences and for policy makers to understand the dynamics of higher education.     

意义世界中的儿童行为表现概念及其意涵

行为表现是教育实践中的常见用语。教育实践者通常是在规范和实证的立场来使用这一概念,由此使得概念的使用者往往将儿童与其行为、儿童与概念的使用者切割开来,造成教育者在实践中的目中无人。对表现概念的意涵重释,特别是不同学科关于表现概念的界定,使得我们能够重新发现行为表现概念所内含的意义世界,从而启发一种关于行为表现的新的教育哲学,即儿童的行为即是儿童的表现,是儿童精神世界和意义世界借助行为的外显化。儿童借助行为而表现出来的意义,是在特定情境中与教育者共同建构的结果。意义世界中的儿童行为表现概念意味着,教育实践并非单纯实践性的,它同时也是理论性的。教育实践的理论性主要体现为教育者必须要对儿童行为所表现出来的意义世界作出准确的理解。     

Bridging the digital divide with off-line e-learning

Abstract

This paper explores a proposal for an off-line e-learning platform that will provide a bridge for digitally unconnected students and educators to join the contemporary information and communications technology (ICT) intensive world. Individual remote and unconnected learners face a chicken and egg problem for engagement with contemporary e-learning offerings. Without connectivity, remote learners have no way of engaging with now common ICT intensified learning materials that are intended to teach them how to engage in an ICT intensive world! The paper takes systems approach to developing a solution that will fit into the world we have, and not one we wish we had in terms of infrastructure, economics and skills available in remote and developing regions. Digital learning courses are placed onto a portable e-learning environment that is not reliant on a constant network connection to function but retains interactivity, analytics and the ability to synchronise data with an educational institution when a connection is found.     

Revisiting the metaphor of the island: challenging ‘world culture’ from an island misunderstood

This article revisits the newly ‘discovered’ island that world culture theorists have repeatedly utilised to explain their theoretical stance, conceptual preferences and methodological approach. Yet, it seeks to (re)connect world culture with the real world by replacing their imagined atoll with a real one – the island-nation of Japan. In descending to understand social and educational change on the ‘island’ that may appear – from afar – to be consensually convergent on purported world models, this article challenges the ways that world culture theory suggests we read both individual nations and the wider World.